Israel Threatens to Hinder Palestinian Vote

By GREG MYRE; Dina Kraft contributed reporting from Gaza City for this article.

Published: December 22, 2005

Israel said Wednesday that if the militant faction Hamas took part in next month's elections for the Palestinian parliament, Palestinians would not be allowed to cast ballots in East Jerusalem. The Palestinian leadership responded by saying that it might postpone the voting, which is scheduled for Jan. 25.

The elections are years overdue, and another delay could contribute to even greater political disarray. The Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, had been adamant that the elections take place as scheduled, even though his Fatah movement is plagued by internal disputes and is facing a strong challenge from Hamas, which has carried out many suicide bombings and other attacks against Israel.

But on Wednesday Mr. Abbas left open the possibility of a postponement. Other Palestinian leaders went further, saying the balloting would be put off if Israel did not allow Palestinians in East Jerusalem to vote inside the city limits, as they have in the past.

''We cannot hold elections anywhere if the Palestinians in Jerusalem are not allowed to vote,'' Nabil Shaath, a senior Palestinian leader, was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Mr. Abbas held talks in the West Bank at Ramallah with Egypt's intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, who periodically mediates between Israel and the Palestinians. After the meeting, Mr. Abbas said a final decision on the election had not been reached.

Some Fatah members have urged Mr. Abbas to postpone the balloting, saying Fatah needs time to fend off the challenge by Hamas. In municipal elections last week, Hamas demonstrated its growing strength by winning in Nablus, the largest West Bank city, and in other towns.

Hamas is demanding that the elections be held as scheduled.

Because Jerusalem is one of the most explosive issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the question of voting inside the city has great symbolic importance.

Israel, which captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and annexed it, claims the entire city is its capital, though its position has not been recognized internationally. The Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Under an interim peace deal, Palestinians in East Jerusalem were allowed to vote in the city in the only previous Palestinian parliamentary election, in 1996. Israel initially sought to prevent Palestinians from voting in the city in their presidential election this past January, but backed off in the face of pressure from the United States.

Israel says it will not allow voting in the city on the ground that the Palestinian Authority is violating the interim peace agreement by allowing the participation of Hamas, which is committed to Israel's destruction.

Israel says it will allow the elections elsewhere in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In theory, Palestinians in East Jerusalem could vote in nearby cities like Ramallah, which is adjacent to Jerusalem, but their leaders say this is a violation of the interim peace agreement.

Mr. Abbas, who has struggled to assert his authority since his January election, faces a tough choice. The elections were first set for July, but Mr. Abbas postponed them. He will face increased criticism from Hamas and other Palestinian groups if he delays them again.

If the elections proceed, Fatah, which has dominated Palestinian politics for decades, could emerge much weaker. Younger leaders in the party have broken away and are running under a separate ticket, called The Future, though they say they will still cooperate with Fatah.

If Hamas makes a strong showing and insists on cabinet posts, Mr. Abbas's efforts to govern could become even more complicated. With Hamas in the government, Israel would be even more reluctant to deal with the Palestinian Authority, and Western countries might be less willing to provide the aid that accounts for much of the authority's budget.

The United States could exert considerable pressure to resolve the issue. The administration opposes the participation of Hamas, which it has designated a terrorist group. But the administration also supports the Palestinian democratic process and has encouraged the elections.

''At this point, we see no obstacles to those elections' taking place as scheduled on Jan. 25, with concerted effort and focus on the part of the Palestinians to see that those elections take place,'' said the State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack.

In the latest sign of lawlessness in the Palestinian areas, the principal and the vice principal of the private American International School in Gaza were kidnapped on Wednesday and held for about eight hours before being released unharmed.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility and freed the men, one Dutch and one Australian, after negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. The kidnappers said they wanted the Palestinian Authority to seek the release of jailed Popular Front leaders.

In the West Bank, Israeli troops on a raid in Jenin killed a Hamas leader during a shootout, the military said.